My kids and I are working through our summer bucket list, and we just recently tackled one of the service items on that list – taking a firefighter appreciation gift to our local fire station. It’s such a fun and rewarding service activity!
Firefighters protect our communities and save lives every day, and they work even harder in the hot Texas summers here with all of their heavy gear. I learned from Mission: Hydrate Houston that firefighters’ biggest need is Gatorade. Mission: Hydrate Houston is a Facebook page created by the family of a 6 year old girl (her uncle is a firefighter), whose mission is to provide Gatorade to all of the Houston fire stations.
I never thought about providing Gatorade to fire stations before, but once I heard it, it made perfect sense! After being in intense heat and sweating so much, sport drinks like Gatorade help them to re-hydrate. And powdered Gatorade goes the furthest, since they can mix up multiple gallons at once.
Firefighter Appreciation Tags
So with all of that in mind, we put together a firefighter appreciation gift. After not finding any firefighter thank you tags I liked online, I created my own. They’re available to download here as a free printable, so please spread the love at your local fire stations!
The tags print two to a page. I bought some metallic gold card stock from the copy counter within my local Office Max, and it looks awesome!
You can really see the metallic shine in this shot, which really makes it look like a badge. At the copy counter, you can buy exactly the number of sheets you need (about $0.50 each), or you can order a package of gold card stock from Amazon as well.
I cut around the badge outline, and then hole punched the top of each for tying ribbon.
Firefighter Appreciation Gift
We bought three tubs of powdered Gatorade at our local grocery store. I had my kids pick out the flavors to get them involved. Warehouse clubs like Sam’s Club and Costco often carry even larger tubs. I put the Gatorades in a gift bag, and I tied the gift tag to the handle with red ribbon.
We also made some homemade cookies (because who doesn’t like homemade cookies?!), and I taped a gift tag with ribbon to the covered plate.
Fire Station Delivery
My son carried the plate of cookies into our local fire station. My attempt at capturing a delivery photo is below. Those of you with small children will understand how this is the best shot I got – ha!
The firefighters who were there when we made the delivery seemed surprised by the Gatorade but excited. And they let my kids check out the trucks and gear, which was fun!
This is an easy service project to do with children, and it makes a big impact! What’s your favorite thing to take to a fire station to say “thank you?” Or if you know a firefighter, what would they appreciate receiving as a thank you gift?
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY Law Enforcement APPRECIATION bags AND FREE PRINTABLE TAGS TOO!
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P.S. You might also like these law enforcement appreciation bags and free printable tags!